In known wall-protecting handrails, rail members are mounted on brackets in a manner such they can deflect and deform under impacts from objects to prevent damage to the underlying wall. The rail members protect the underlying walls and provide support for persons walking through the building. These handrails are widely used in hospitals and nursing homes, where carts, wheelchairs and the like are moved through hallways and are likely to strike the walls.
Known handrails are supported in spaced-apart relation to the walls to allow space between the handrail and the user's fingers. The supports are individual brackets that are strongly attached to the walls and to the handrails. In some cases a single bolt is used that passes through a hole in a portion of the handrail, a corresponding hole in the bracket, and through the wall. Such a system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,288,048.
Also known is a handrail installation in which single bolts are used at each support point for the rail and in which the rail need not be drilled to fasten it to the support. The rail and supports permit covers and/or other components to be pre-assembled to the rail before the rail is attached to the supports. All of the supports for the rail can be installed onto the wall or post system (or other supporting structure) before the rail is installed. The rail is then installed onto the supports using a tool. Such a system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,508,458.
The present inventors have recognized the need for a handrail assembly that allows the handrail supports to be first installed onto the wall and then the handrail installed onto the supports. The present inventors have recognized the need for supports that eliminate the requirement for using a tool to install the handrail to the supports and that constituted an easily installed and cost effective assembly.